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Topic: Is world Orthodoxy a dangerous religion for the end days? (Read 8844 times)

A wise priest of blessed memory once answered a young person's question about the 'end times' at a summer camp many years ago when I was a counselor. (That kind of dates the advice, doesn't it?)

He told us that we should always remember that we MAY be living in the end times, but that we were not to obsess about that. It is far more important he said to live each day in the HERE and NOW, following the commandments of our Lord and the teachings of our Church.

He reminded us that Christians from the St. Paul on down through history lived their life fully expecting that they were living in the 'end times' and they all died without having been there. If this were so important to the teachings of the Church in terms of daily living, he believed that the church would have died out centuries ago from the lack of the end. The sola scriptura heresies and self-interpretation of Scripture is not what we believe and he concluded by stating a harsh truth which was if that is want you chose to believe then Orthodoxy is not for you.

The greatest danger is always from within, not without. The Nihilists and the Moslems are no threat to us. What can they do? Kill us? So what.

Can't Nihilism and Islam help prevent people outside the Church from reaching the true faith and salvation though?

Quote

However, those that call themselves Orthodox but are not, they are the danger. It is just like wartime. When the enemy wears a uniform of his nation and he is captured, he is kept as a POW and treated in accordance with rules of law (hopefully). However, when an enemy is caught wearing your uniform, he is treated as a spy and shot. Why? Because the traitor, spy, and enemy within is always more dangerous.

I do agree that this is a problem, but I'm cautious to claim we know who is and isn't a spy, traitor, enemy, etc. within the Church. Some cases may be clear, but otherwise, who makes that determination? I would say that Orthodoxy, "world" or not, has the potential to become dangerous, but that it is a tremendously good force and representative of Christ's Church.

Your concerns are accurate in my view, and further spell out the danger of internal threat. External enemies make themselves known. Those that espouse the doctrines of the enemy from within often are not known. Who makes the determination? Ultimately, we all do to some extent. I believe, and have always believed, that every Orthodox Christian is bound by duty to study the Word of God, read diligently the Lives of the Saints, and attend the Services of the Church frequently. They should also read the writings of the Fathers. I have no use for the cultists that simply “show up” and have to run to a “spiritual father” for everything. These are the ones that will be deceived first.

To a large extent, we can see the subtle beginnings of the end as we see our services stripped of much of the doctrinal content so important to the teaching of the people. How many parishes still hear the entire Canon for Matins sung on Sunday? How many just sing the Irmoi thereby robbing the Faithful of the doctrinal teaching of the hymns of the Church? Are the Troparia still sung at the Beatitudes? Not in any of the “world” Orthodox Churches that I have attended. How many modern Churches still have Vespers? All of these services contain the doctrine of the Church, when they are performed in their entirety. As it is, most modern Orthodox Churches can fire through a Matins in less than an hour, and a Vespers in less time than that. Combine that with the modern textual criticism taught in our Seminaries, and you have a two front attack. First, you deny the Faithful the ability to hear the truth so they cannot recognize a lie, and then you start to introduce falsehood. Where are we on this timeline?

What makes “world” Orthodoxy dangerous is that it will slowly become a great deception. A Christian will know not to trust Islam, or an Atheist, or a Jew. But what happens when he tries to join himself to what he thinks is the Church, but is not? We see this as early as the book of Revelations when Christ warns people of one of the seven Churches to beware of those that say they are Jews but are not. A true Jew would have known the Savior, not reject him. In the end, will “world” Orthodoxy be any different?

When will this happen? Before the end must come the Great Apostasy. But when exactly will that be? Who knows? We have been close many times, but have always been saved. Perhaps we will be saved again this time. Perhaps (and I truly wish this) we will not come close this time. And who are the “world” Orthodox and the “True” Orthodox? Again, who really knows? Can any of us see into the heart of those around us and know what they really believe? I believe that we will know them by their fruits. When it becomes more and more difficult to tell the Orthodox from anyone else, we will be approaching that time that will usher in the end. And it will not be the Moslems who will be “casting us out of the Synagogue”, but those who “call themselves Jews but are not”. Our greatest enemies will be those that consider those who still try to believe and practice the Faith handed down to us as Schismatic. They will call us “non-Canonical” as they violate every Canon in the book. They will call us unloving as we refuse to drink the Kool-Aid of Ecumenism that they gulp down so readily. And we will know them by their fruits. Where are their Martyrs? Where are their Saints? Where are their Holy Men and Elders? Where are their miracles? If the Fathers were teleported into that time, would they recognize what they saw as Orthodox?

I don’t have these answers. Many will suppose they do, but I have found the more that one thinks they know, the less they really know.

Perhaps I missed the memo or the text message, Punch.

Isn't your own New Gracanica Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox in North and South America part of the 'world' Orthodox you so seem to fear and despise. All of their links on their Webpage are to to canonical Orthodox churches of the 'world' (ugh, I HATE that term) Orthodox communion.

Give us a break. If you are so concerned about your salvation, perhaps you ought to find a 'true' Orthodox Church to join. Sorry if I am harsh, but I tire of those who attack, attack and attack the spirituality of others without any understanding, foundation, true knowledge or charity in their hearts.

In America we are the authority (the people). We won that with bloodshed when we told King George to take a hike. We the People are the boss, the authority, and are in charge. (at least we are supposed to be)

Though in Orthodoxy I fear respects the government as an authority, establishes 501c3 incorporation articles with them, and could very well be used by the government in the end times. No doubt this happened in Russia (at one time).

Go get pulled over for breaking a law and tell the cop that. Let us know how it works out. As I said before, we do elect them, however, once we do, we must submit ourselves to them and the laws they enact.

I would not mind saying that a cop is a public servant. They are members of the executive branch of government.

How about when the churches commemorated both the George Bush Jr & Sr. They commemorated men who went and practiced at the Bohemian Grove and had Molech worship and were members of Masonic organizations.

Bro, that Alex Jones stuff is brain poison. One of my friends practically went off the deep end because of that nonsense. =/

I've seen the Bohemian Grove video. It's just a typical nutty parlor/club/mason anachronism held over from the 19th Century. The stuff's a dime a dozen in America and western europe.

Well unfortunately, it's our world leaders going to this club. Just google the Bohemian grove book. Your friend was right to go off the deep end. It's not every day you get to witness the "Christian conservative leaders" going to the Grove worshiping Molech.

A wise priest of blessed memory once answered a young person's question about the 'end times' at a summer camp many years ago when I was a counselor. (That kind of dates the advice, doesn't it?)

He told us that we should always remember that we MAY be living in the end times, but that we were not to obsess about that. It is far more important he said to live each day in the HERE and NOW, following the commandments of our Lord and the teachings of our Church.

He reminded us that Christians from the St. Paul on down through history lived their life fully expecting that they were living in the 'end times' and they all died without having been there. If this were so important to the teachings of the Church in terms of daily living, he believed that the church would have died out centuries ago from the lack of the end. The sola scriptura heresies and self-interpretation of Scripture is not what we believe and he concluded by stating a harsh truth which was if that is want you chose to believe then Orthodoxy is not for you.

I'd like to ask that priest what the point of Revelation was then?

If we are not to worry about the end days, then there should have been no point of including it in the Bible.

Obviously somewhere in history, the Orthodox Church found it very important, in fact important enough to include a book about the very subject. If the priest wants to ignore the scriptures, then perhaps he's the one that Orthodoxy is not for. Sola Scriptura is from the Protestants/Luther and is heretical without doubt. But so is ignora the scripturas.

Is world Orthodoxy a dangerous religion for the end days? Yes. And as you suspect, it probably will join forces with the Antichrist against the True Orthodox, whom even the Gates of Hell will not prevail. Just because you dress like Liberace, wear funny hats, and maybe even commune with the EP, does not make you Orthodox. It may make you "canonical", whatever that perversion of the term is supposed to mean, but it does not make you Orthodox. There were times in the history of the Church that heretics and apostates had so overrun the visible organization calling itself the Church that many thought that the Church had ceased to exist. Such were the times of Athanasius and Maximos. So will it be again before Christ comes. But, there always will be a remnant.

Agreed. Orthodoxy is Orthodox. That's the point I'm trying to relay so often here.

These New World Order "Bishops" practicing heretical ecumenism and giving chalices and holding worship with other faiths is a prelude to a one world religion. I believe so many are blind to this, or at least don't want to see it. So many don't have a problem with a Lutheran priest receiving a chalice from an ecumenical patriarch, or those ecumenical patriarchs holding services with Roman Catholics and protestants directly after tribal pagan worship was held in the same facility.

It's almost like watching sheep go to the slaughter. World leaders engaged in Molech worship, "ORTHODOX" bishops (ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHS!!!) holding worship with the non-orthodox, dollar value constantly dropping to be propped up my the imf, debts exploding and we are close to an inflationary currency crisis... Yeah I see it...

One world religion.One world currency.One world government under currency regulation.

Chump that in with a cupful of Romans 13 ordered by the governments down to the churches, and you'll have World Orthodox Christians by the church full ready for the mark of the beast. Especially if the mark regulates food rations.

A wise priest of blessed memory once answered a young person's question about the 'end times' at a summer camp many years ago when I was a counselor. (That kind of dates the advice, doesn't it?)

He told us that we should always remember that we MAY be living in the end times, but that we were not to obsess about that. It is far more important he said to live each day in the HERE and NOW, following the commandments of our Lord and the teachings of our Church.

He reminded us that Christians from the St. Paul on down through history lived their life fully expecting that they were living in the 'end times' and they all died without having been there. If this were so important to the teachings of the Church in terms of daily living, he believed that the church would have died out centuries ago from the lack of the end. The sola scriptura heresies and self-interpretation of Scripture is not what we believe and he concluded by stating a harsh truth which was if that is want you chose to believe then Orthodoxy is not for you.

I'd like to ask that priest what the point of Revelation was then?

If we are not to worry about the end days, then there should have been no point of including it in the Bible.

Obviously somewhere in history, the Orthodox Church found it very important, in fact important enough to include a book about the very subject. If the priest wants to ignore the scriptures, then perhaps he's the one that Orthodoxy is not for. Sola Scriptura is from the Protestants/Luther and is heretical without doubt. But so is ignora the scripturas.

"So, if it appears that Orthodoxy has not said much about the end times, it may be because we have read so little of what the Church Fathers write about this, or it may be because the Orthodox Church cannot reveal things that have not been revealed. The basic message of Christ is to live according to God's will and that, if we do, we will have not worry for the future. This is a recurring theme in the words and teaching of Jesus Christ." [/u][/color]

If you want to stick to your own interpretations, so be it, but they do not seem consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Faith.

Go get pulled over for breaking a law and tell the cop that. Let us know how it works out. As I said before, we do elect them, however, once we do, we must submit ourselves to them and the laws they enact.

I would not mind saying that a cop is a public servant. They are members of the executive branch of government.

Public "servants" who have the job of trying to ensure the safety of the people. Things like traffic laws which are intended (generally) to prevent accidents, injury and death. Are Traffic laws for public safety not to be enforced by the police regarding your driving because they are public servants and you won't "submit" to them?

« Last Edit: June 07, 2011, 03:35:08 PM by Ebor »

Logged

"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

Through the eyes of John Nelson Darby. Seriously, leave these heretical paradigms and begin to acquire the phronema of the Church.

Logged

"Hades is not a place, no, but a state of the soul. It begins here on earth. Just so, paradise begins in the soul of a man here in the earthly life. Here we already have contact with the divine..." -St. John, Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, Homily On the Sunday of Orthodoxy

Agreed. Orthodoxy is Orthodox. That's the point I'm trying to relay so often here.

These New World Order "Bishops" practicing heretical ecumenism and giving chalices and holding worship with other faiths is a prelude to a one world religion. I believe so many are blind to this, or at least don't want to see it. So many don't have a problem with a Lutheran priest receiving a chalice from an ecumenical patriarch, or those ecumenical patriarchs holding services with Roman Catholics and protestants directly after tribal pagan worship was held in the same facility.

Please correct me if I am in error, but you are not a member of any EO Church yet/at this time or have you been in the past? Yet you are making declarations about clergy and putting quotation marks around the title of Bishop? Who are you to decide that they are not really Bishops?

I'm not EO but would never have the presumption to think that I as a layperson and not of their jurisdiction could judge and make pronouncements about other Churches' clergy.

What incident are you referring to with a Lutheran pastor and an EP please? What "tribal pagan worship" are you writing about?

With respect,

Ebor

Logged

"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

The greatest danger is always from within, not without. The Nihilists and the Moslems are no threat to us. What can they do? Kill us? So what.

Can't Nihilism and Islam help prevent people outside the Church from reaching the true faith and salvation though?

Quote

However, those that call themselves Orthodox but are not, they are the danger. It is just like wartime. When the enemy wears a uniform of his nation and he is captured, he is kept as a POW and treated in accordance with rules of law (hopefully). However, when an enemy is caught wearing your uniform, he is treated as a spy and shot. Why? Because the traitor, spy, and enemy within is always more dangerous.

I do agree that this is a problem, but I'm cautious to claim we know who is and isn't a spy, traitor, enemy, etc. within the Church. Some cases may be clear, but otherwise, who makes that determination? I would say that Orthodoxy, "world" or not, has the potential to become dangerous, but that it is a tremendously good force and representative of Christ's Church.

Your concerns are accurate in my view, and further spell out the danger of internal threat. External enemies make themselves known. Those that espouse the doctrines of the enemy from within often are not known. Who makes the determination? Ultimately, we all do to some extent. I believe, and have always believed, that every Orthodox Christian is bound by duty to study the Word of God, read diligently the Lives of the Saints, and attend the Services of the Church frequently. They should also read the writings of the Fathers. I have no use for the cultists that simply “show up” and have to run to a “spiritual father” for everything. These are the ones that will be deceived first.

To a large extent, we can see the subtle beginnings of the end as we see our services stripped of much of the doctrinal content so important to the teaching of the people. How many parishes still hear the entire Canon for Matins sung on Sunday? How many just sing the Irmoi thereby robbing the Faithful of the doctrinal teaching of the hymns of the Church? Are the Troparia still sung at the Beatitudes? Not in any of the “world” Orthodox Churches that I have attended. How many modern Churches still have Vespers? All of these services contain the doctrine of the Church, when they are performed in their entirety. As it is, most modern Orthodox Churches can fire through a Matins in less than an hour, and a Vespers in less time than that. Combine that with the modern textual criticism taught in our Seminaries, and you have a two front attack. First, you deny the Faithful the ability to hear the truth so they cannot recognize a lie, and then you start to introduce falsehood. Where are we on this timeline?

What makes “world” Orthodoxy dangerous is that it will slowly become a great deception. A Christian will know not to trust Islam, or an Atheist, or a Jew. But what happens when he tries to join himself to what he thinks is the Church, but is not? We see this as early as the book of Revelations when Christ warns people of one of the seven Churches to beware of those that say they are Jews but are not. A true Jew would have known the Savior, not reject him. In the end, will “world” Orthodoxy be any different?

When will this happen? Before the end must come the Great Apostasy. But when exactly will that be? Who knows? We have been close many times, but have always been saved. Perhaps we will be saved again this time. Perhaps (and I truly wish this) we will not come close this time. And who are the “world” Orthodox and the “True” Orthodox? Again, who really knows? Can any of us see into the heart of those around us and know what they really believe? I believe that we will know them by their fruits. When it becomes more and more difficult to tell the Orthodox from anyone else, we will be approaching that time that will usher in the end. And it will not be the Moslems who will be “casting us out of the Synagogue”, but those who “call themselves Jews but are not”. Our greatest enemies will be those that consider those who still try to believe and practice the Faith handed down to us as Schismatic. They will call us “non-Canonical” as they violate every Canon in the book. They will call us unloving as we refuse to drink the Kool-Aid of Ecumenism that they gulp down so readily. And we will know them by their fruits. Where are their Martyrs? Where are their Saints? Where are their Holy Men and Elders? Where are their miracles? If the Fathers were teleported into that time, would they recognize what they saw as Orthodox?

I don’t have these answers. Many will suppose they do, but I have found the more that one thinks they know, the less they really know.

Perhaps I missed the memo or the text message, Punch.

Isn't your own New Gracanica Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox in North and South America part of the 'world' Orthodox you so seem to fear and despise. All of their links on their Webpage are to to canonical Orthodox churches of the 'world' (ugh, I HATE that term) Orthodox communion.

Give us a break. If you are so concerned about your salvation, perhaps you ought to find a 'true' Orthodox Church to join. Sorry if I am harsh, but I tire of those who attack, attack and attack the spirituality of others without any understanding, foundation, true knowledge or charity in their hearts.

No, what you may have missed is basic literacy. Had you read closely, you would have noticed that I was careful to put the terms “world” and “True” in quotes, and even go so far as to question who actually deserved those terms. Truth be told, I dislike the terms as much as you do. I also like the terms “True” and “Canonical” even less.

As to attacking the spirituality of others, which person or Church did I attack? If the shoe fits, wear it. Otherwise, leave it there for the ones who it does fit. For my part, I think that more than 40 years of reading the Scriptures and studying them has given me a reasonable idea of what the shoe looks like. I tend to avoid those that wear it, and seek the company of those that do not. I do not yet see the shoe to be part of the uniform of any particular jurisdiction. As the end nears, we will see more and more wear that shoe. As to where we are now? Again, all I did was question. It is, however, interesting to see who takes offense.

Logged

I would be happy to agree with you, but then both of us would be wrong.

I think there are legitimate issues to discuss, but yeshuaisiam has no standing to make these determinations. He has his own idea of what scriptural passages mean and how they should be applied, how churches should be decorated, what liturgies should be composed of, and how we are all wrong (East, West, RC, Orthodox, Protestant) in how we refer to Jesus. Of course he's entitled to his opinions, but he in no way represents an Orthodox opinion.

Yeshuaisiam, Im sorry to tell you that police are not members of the executive branch of government.

Ahh, then you've been duped too. Local and state police (usually the ones conducting traffic stops) are all part of the NEW WORLD ORDER and secretly part of the Melochazaam worshiping, Executive Branch, headquartered at the Bohemian Grove.

Yeshuaisiam, Im sorry to tell you that police are not members of the executive branch of government.

Ahh, then you've been duped too. Local and state police (usually the ones conducting traffic stops) are all part of the NEW WORLD ORDER and secretly part of the Melochazaam worshiping, Executive Branch, headquartered at the Bohemian Grove.

Wow.

I hate to break it to you, yes, police are part of the executive branch of Government. They do not write laws or judge laws, they enforce the law. That is the executive branch. Simply look it up.

I think there are legitimate issues to discuss, but yeshuaisiam has no standing to make these determinations. He has his own idea of what scriptural passages mean and how they should be applied, how churches should be decorated, what liturgies should be composed of, and how we are all wrong (East, West, RC, Orthodox, Protestant) in how we refer to Jesus. Of course he's entitled to his opinions, but he in no way represents an Orthodox opinion.

So Cognomen thinks I have no standing to make these determinations, yet Cognomen has no idea of who I am, nor in reality does he have any determinations to make standings on me.

Saying I have no idea of what scriptural passages mean is a bad assumption. I know how churches are decorated. I know what liturgies are composed of and I think I've proven that several times. I've been an Eastern Orthodox Christian for many years, lived at St. Vladimir's seminary in New York, and have spent countless hours around Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Cognomen practices the art of cognitive dissonance. I wish you wouldn't. Just because you don't want to accept something doesn't mean that you should stubbornly battle against it. His name is Yeshua in Aramaic. I know that bugs you. Guess what? His name was Yeshua anyway. It's what God was called here on Earth. Yeshua. NOT Jesus. Jesus came out of the Greek transliterations of the Aramaic.

Guess what? I think I do represent an Orthodox opinion. Perhaps not your "Orthodox" opinion.

There was once a church that truly existed before 325 A.D. It was the Orthodox church. There really wasn't an iconostasis either in those days. Like it or not... It's true. So if you think I don't know how a church should be decorated, perhaps you should really look at your own church, because the church that I strive to follow, was decorated a world away from your church.

My interpretation of Romans 13 is not an interpretation of the scripture, it is an interpretation of the American government. They are my servants. Blood was spilled for that freedom. They are not my governing authorities. They are not my kings nor Caesar. They are bound by Oath (albeit Masonic) to serve me (Protect and defend the constitution). That makes them subjective to me.

If you believe this way, you will get the mark of the beast because they will use Romans 13 against you most likely through your church. Revelation is very clear that it will be coming from the governments, which the vast majority of worldwide churches are juiced in with their governments.

This is NOT all Eastern Orthodoxy. I believe some are seeing this today.

Sorry mate. The police are not federal. They are city and state funded, therefore not under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Simply ask your city councilman.

primuspilus

Doesn't matter. Local government is Executive, Legislative, and Judicial too. Local police are local executive branch.

Actually no, under common law in the United States, local governments derive their powers solely from the sovereign. There is no true separation of powers on the local level as enshrined in the Federal constitution. Local powers are either statutory or charter based.

I do have to concede one thing to my favorite comspiracy theorist (yes, you yeshuaisiam, you're my fav ).....look up Rex 85...scary stuff...and totally real.

primuspilus

Thanks,, but I would not consider myself a conspiracy theorist. That kind a term that casts off one as a tin foil hat person. (kind of koo koo)

Seriously. I just want to know what I am saying is wrong.

1. The Bohemian Grove exists and world leaders attend it.2. In America everybody working for the government are "public servants". 3. Most World Orthodox churches are somewhat intertwined with the governments of their countries (which Revelation speaks of the beast system coming through).

Thanks for being decent though primuspilus and engaging in rational respectful conversation rather than childish ugliness.

The greatest danger is always from within, not without. The Nihilists and the Moslems are no threat to us. What can they do? Kill us? So what.

Can't Nihilism and Islam help prevent people outside the Church from reaching the true faith and salvation though?

Quote

However, those that call themselves Orthodox but are not, they are the danger. It is just like wartime. When the enemy wears a uniform of his nation and he is captured, he is kept as a POW and treated in accordance with rules of law (hopefully). However, when an enemy is caught wearing your uniform, he is treated as a spy and shot. Why? Because the traitor, spy, and enemy within is always more dangerous.

I do agree that this is a problem, but I'm cautious to claim we know who is and isn't a spy, traitor, enemy, etc. within the Church. Some cases may be clear, but otherwise, who makes that determination? I would say that Orthodoxy, "world" or not, has the potential to become dangerous, but that it is a tremendously good force and representative of Christ's Church.

Your concerns are accurate in my view, and further spell out the danger of internal threat. External enemies make themselves known. Those that espouse the doctrines of the enemy from within often are not known. Who makes the determination? Ultimately, we all do to some extent. I believe, and have always believed, that every Orthodox Christian is bound by duty to study the Word of God, read diligently the Lives of the Saints, and attend the Services of the Church frequently. They should also read the writings of the Fathers. I have no use for the cultists that simply “show up” and have to run to a “spiritual father” for everything. These are the ones that will be deceived first.

To a large extent, we can see the subtle beginnings of the end as we see our services stripped of much of the doctrinal content so important to the teaching of the people. How many parishes still hear the entire Canon for Matins sung on Sunday? How many just sing the Irmoi thereby robbing the Faithful of the doctrinal teaching of the hymns of the Church? Are the Troparia still sung at the Beatitudes? Not in any of the “world” Orthodox Churches that I have attended. How many modern Churches still have Vespers? All of these services contain the doctrine of the Church, when they are performed in their entirety. As it is, most modern Orthodox Churches can fire through a Matins in less than an hour, and a Vespers in less time than that. Combine that with the modern textual criticism taught in our Seminaries, and you have a two front attack. First, you deny the Faithful the ability to hear the truth so they cannot recognize a lie, and then you start to introduce falsehood. Where are we on this timeline?

What makes “world” Orthodoxy dangerous is that it will slowly become a great deception. A Christian will know not to trust Islam, or an Atheist, or a Jew. But what happens when he tries to join himself to what he thinks is the Church, but is not? We see this as early as the book of Revelations when Christ warns people of one of the seven Churches to beware of those that say they are Jews but are not. A true Jew would have known the Savior, not reject him. In the end, will “world” Orthodoxy be any different?

When will this happen? Before the end must come the Great Apostasy. But when exactly will that be? Who knows? We have been close many times, but have always been saved. Perhaps we will be saved again this time. Perhaps (and I truly wish this) we will not come close this time. And who are the “world” Orthodox and the “True” Orthodox? Again, who really knows? Can any of us see into the heart of those around us and know what they really believe? I believe that we will know them by their fruits. When it becomes more and more difficult to tell the Orthodox from anyone else, we will be approaching that time that will usher in the end. And it will not be the Moslems who will be “casting us out of the Synagogue”, but those who “call themselves Jews but are not”. Our greatest enemies will be those that consider those who still try to believe and practice the Faith handed down to us as Schismatic. They will call us “non-Canonical” as they violate every Canon in the book. They will call us unloving as we refuse to drink the Kool-Aid of Ecumenism that they gulp down so readily. And we will know them by their fruits. Where are their Martyrs? Where are their Saints? Where are their Holy Men and Elders? Where are their miracles? If the Fathers were teleported into that time, would they recognize what they saw as Orthodox?

I don’t have these answers. Many will suppose they do, but I have found the more that one thinks they know, the less they really know.

Perhaps I missed the memo or the text message, Punch.

Isn't your own New Gracanica Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox in North and South America part of the 'world' Orthodox you so seem to fear and despise. All of their links on their Webpage are to to canonical Orthodox churches of the 'world' (ugh, I HATE that term) Orthodox communion.

Give us a break. If you are so concerned about your salvation, perhaps you ought to find a 'true' Orthodox Church to join. Sorry if I am harsh, but I tire of those who attack, attack and attack the spirituality of others without any understanding, foundation, true knowledge or charity in their hearts.

No, what you may have missed is basic literacy. Had you read closely, you would have noticed that I was careful to put the terms “world” and “True” in quotes, and even go so far as to question who actually deserved those terms. Truth be told, I dislike the terms as much as you do. I also like the terms “True” and “Canonical” even less.

As to attacking the spirituality of others, which person or Church did I attack? If the shoe fits, wear it. Otherwise, leave it there for the ones who it does fit. For my part, I think that more than 40 years of reading the Scriptures and studying them has given me a reasonable idea of what the shoe looks like. I tend to avoid those that wear it, and seek the company of those that do not. I do not yet see the shoe to be part of the uniform of any particular jurisdiction. As the end nears, we will see more and more wear that shoe. As to where we are now? Again, all I did was question. It is, however, interesting to see who takes offense.

I stand by what I said. Subtlety is not your strength. You may put 'quotes' around the words, but your meaning comes through clearly time and time again in your posts. Your condescending attitude about your perception of your own knowledge and the alleged lack of the same in others is never far beneath the surface. Bene orasse est bene studuisse.

How about when the churches commemorated both the George Bush Jr & Sr. They commemorated men who went and practiced at the Bohemian Grove and had Molech worship and were members of Masonic organizations.

Bro, that Alex Jones stuff is brain poison. One of my friends practically went off the deep end because of that nonsense. =/

I've seen the Bohemian Grove video. It's just a typical nutty parlor/club/mason anachronism held over from the 19th Century. The stuff's a dime a dozen in America and western europe.

Well unfortunately, it's our world leaders going to this club. Just google the Bohemian grove book. Your friend was right to go off the deep end. It's not every day you get to witness the "Christian conservative leaders" going to the Grove worshiping Molech.

Molech is not an owl, despite what Alex Jones's demented ravings may have led you to believe. They are not worshiping their bizaare pseudo-ritual, it's just a vestige of 19th century parlorism.

« Last Edit: June 07, 2011, 05:07:36 PM by NicholasMyra »

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Quote from: Fr. Thomas Hopko, dystopian parable of the prodigal son

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

Sorry mate. The police are not federal. They are city and state funded, therefore not under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Simply ask your city councilman.

primuspilus

Doesn't matter. Local government is Executive, Legislative, and Judicial too. Local police are local executive branch.

Actually no, under common law in the United States, local governments derive their powers solely from the sovereign. There is no true separation of powers on the local level as enshrined in the Federal constitution. Local powers are either statutory or charter based.

I don't know. I know everything else God made looks nothing like icons. Mountains, rivers, volcanoes, snow... People don't have halos for example. I don't think it really matters to God at all. What good does an icon really do (at least for me)? God (Father), nor Jesus/Yeshua has ever asked for us to make icons at all. We were really asked to love one another, golden rule, follow the commandments, wash each other's feet, have communion, forgive, it's really simple to explain, very difficult to practice.

Icons, incense, prostrations, chants, bowing, veneration of hands-relics-icons-etc, all this we were not told to do. They are pretty easy things to do. I just call it all "fluff". Uneeded things that need too much explanation.

I think any EO Christian can agree that icons and incense is not a necessary, so I don't accuse or call it wrong. It's just fluff.

How about when the churches commemorated both the George Bush Jr & Sr. They commemorated men who went and practiced at the Bohemian Grove and had Molech worship and were members of Masonic organizations.

Bro, that Alex Jones stuff is brain poison. One of my friends practically went off the deep end because of that nonsense. =/

I've seen the Bohemian Grove video. It's just a typical nutty parlor/club/mason anachronism held over from the 19th Century. The stuff's a dime a dozen in America and western europe.

Well unfortunately, it's our world leaders going to this club. Just google the Bohemian grove book. Your friend was right to go off the deep end. It's not every day you get to witness the "Christian conservative leaders" going to the Grove worshiping Molech.

Molech is not an owl, despite what Alex Jones's demented ravings may have led you to believe. They are not worshiping their bizaare pseudo-ritual, it's just a vestige of 19th century parlorism.

It's not all from Alex Jones. I don't know why everybody thinks Molech is all from Alex Jones.

Molech has been portrayed by a bull or horned owl in much of history.Despite what any of MAY or MAY NOT think it is.... Really doesn't matter.

The point is world leaders gather around this rather CREEPY thing and hold rituals to it.

Agreed. Orthodoxy is Orthodox. That's the point I'm trying to relay so often here.

These New World Order "Bishops" practicing heretical ecumenism and giving chalices and holding worship with other faiths is a prelude to a one world religion. I believe so many are blind to this, or at least don't want to see it. So many don't have a problem with a Lutheran priest receiving a chalice from an ecumenical patriarch, or those ecumenical patriarchs holding services with Roman Catholics and protestants directly after tribal pagan worship was held in the same facility.

Please correct me if I am in error, but you are not a member of any EO Church yet/at this time or have you been in the past? Yet you are making declarations about clergy and putting quotation marks around the title of Bishop? Who are you to decide that they are not really Bishops?

I'm not EO but would never have the presumption to think that I as a layperson and not of their jurisdiction could judge and make pronouncements about other Churches' clergy.

What incident are you referring to with a Lutheran pastor and an EP please? What "tribal pagan worship" are you writing about?

With respect,

Ebor

I do not give recognition to a person calling themselves an Eastern Orthodox Bishop, when they held worship with those outside of the Eastern Orthodox church. They broke the Canon of the Holy Apostles law, and it calls for them to be defrocked. That's why I put "Bishop" in quotes.

I frankly don't know exactly what I am as far as church goes. I am trying to find the church practices of pre-Nicea. But I have been heavily a part of Eastern Orthodoxy for most of my life.

I'm not the only one either. There are many Bishops out there who do not recognize these ecumenists are Bishops (and Patriarchs).

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

I can't find a picture because they did not have cameras in those days. J/K - there are only drawings. But I've read it in books, and there are internet links available on it. Some of the books were Jewish.

By not necessary I believe it is okay if you do not want to use these things. Can you pray anywhere? The answer is of course. Does the prayer mean anything more with incense and and icon? I don't think so.

The new covenant is not full of the "fluff", the riches, etc. that the Old Testament has. I'm not saying its wrong, so don't get me wrong... I'm just saying I don't think God really cares about these things anymore or else Jesus Christ would have asked for them.

The new covenant is not full of the "fluff", the riches, etc. that the Old Testament has. I'm not saying its wrong, so don't get me wrong... I'm just saying I don't think God really cares about these things anymore or else Jesus Christ would have asked for them.

I can't find a picture because they did not have cameras in those days. J/K - there are only drawings.

Drawings from the first millenium BC?

See, I'm contending that the notion of Molech being an owl is an invention of recent centuries by forgers and people who were in error and who can't prove their assertions. I don't mind being proven wrong on this, but until evidence appears it's looking like a falsehood.

« Last Edit: June 07, 2011, 05:43:55 PM by NicholasMyra »

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Quote from: Fr. Thomas Hopko, dystopian parable of the prodigal son

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

By not necessary I believe it is okay if you do not want to use these things. Can you pray anywhere? The answer is of course. Does the prayer mean anything more with incense and and icon? I don't think so.

There's a difference between praying somewhere where there are no icons and deliberately avoiding icons in a place of prayer which has them.

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

By not necessary I believe it is okay if you do not want to use these things. Can you pray anywhere? The answer is of course. Does the prayer mean anything more with incense and and icon? I don't think so.

There's a difference between praying somewhere where there are no icons and deliberately avoiding icons in a place of prayer which has them.

So Cognomen thinks I have no standing to make these determinations, yet Cognomen has no idea of who I am, nor in reality does he have any determinations to make standings on me.

I do have an idea, based on what you have posted on this forum. My determinations are based on what I have read here.

Quote

Saying I have no idea of what scriptural passages mean is a bad assumption. I know how churches are decorated. I know what liturgies are composed of and I think I've proven that several times.

I never claimed that you didn't have any idea of a scriptural passage's meaning, or didn't know how churches are decorated, or know what liturgies are composed of. I have claimed that you place a great deal of emphasis on your interpretation and on how you believe the Orthodox Church should act. To the Orthodox Church of Christ, your personal reading and understanding of scripture, opinion of church decoration, etc. means very little.

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Cognomen practices the art of cognitive dissonance. I wish you wouldn't. Just because you don't want to accept something doesn't mean that you should stubbornly battle against it. His name is Yeshua in Aramaic. I know that bugs you. Guess what? His name was Yeshua anyway. It's what God was called here on Earth. Yeshua. NOT Jesus. Jesus came out of the Greek transliterations of the Aramaic.

I'm sure you would prefer if I would go along with all of your poorly developed conspiracies. Of course I don't disagree with Jesus' name being Yesuah in Aramaic, but from your introduction to this forum you have pushed this. Obviously his disciples didn't feel the Aramaic form of his name was crucial and neither has the Church, ever. Why don't you speak Aramaic yourself? Again, this is just another example of you determining how things should be done, and assuming that you know better than the collective and very ancient tradition of the Church. Your view represents a deep distrust of the Church, even the ancient one, and the belief that you know better. I find this extraordinarily arrogant and unhelpful.

Quote

Guess what? I think I do represent an Orthodox opinion. Perhaps not your "Orthodox" opinion.

Yes, and so does the May 21st/Oct 21st rapture pastor. Of course you think your opinion is Orthodox. The Orthodox Church begs to differ.

Quote

There was once a church that truly existed before 325 A.D. It was the Orthodox church. There really wasn't an iconostasis either in those days. Like it or not... It's true. So if you think I don't know how a church should be decorated, perhaps you should really look at your own church, because the church that I strive to follow, was decorated a world away from your church.

You have to realize how strikingly similar your argument is to much of secular and Protestant thought. Having studied the early Church, I don't find this modern narrative of the real church immediately falling apart and then being recreated in Imperial fashion by Constantine and his cronies compelling. This sort of understanding isn't too far from the silly rant given in the DaVinci code.

Yes, things have changed, the liturgy has evolved, the decorations have evolved. This is part of the true Church, and does not represent any substantial shift in understanding of the faith. Is St. Catherine's monastery graceless because it has icons and incense? You can choose to disagree, but you are not a part of the Orthodox Church, nor do you actually wish to be. You are loyal to this myth of the absolutely perfect, untarnished Church of pre-325. Good luck recreating that. Many have tried and it frequently results in silliness.

Quote

My interpretation of Romans 13 is not an interpretation of the scripture, it is an interpretation of the American government. They are my servants. Blood was spilled for that freedom. They are not my governing authorities. They are not my kings nor Caesar. They are bound by Oath (albeit Masonic) to serve me (Protect and defend the constitution). That makes them subjective to me.

As usual, I think you have a naive and fairly odd understanding of this. You're entitled to your opinion, but because government workers are referred to as civil servants, does not mean that they are your personal servant, subject to your wishes and demands. You are not their king. Others have tried to explain this to you, but you retain this understanding.

Quote

If you believe this way, you will get the mark of the beast because they will use Romans 13 against you most likely through your church. Revelation is very clear that it will be coming from the governments, which the vast majority of worldwide churches are juiced in with their governments.

But is it necessary to have icons in church if you have the means and knowledge?

I think so.

« Last Edit: June 07, 2011, 05:52:14 PM by NicholasMyra »

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Quote from: Fr. Thomas Hopko, dystopian parable of the prodigal son

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

So Cognomen thinks I have no standing to make these determinations, yet Cognomen has no idea of who I am, nor in reality does he have any determinations to make standings on me.

I do have an idea, based on what you have posted on this forum. My determinations are based on what I have read here.

Quote

Saying I have no idea of what scriptural passages mean is a bad assumption. I know how churches are decorated. I know what liturgies are composed of and I think I've proven that several times.

I never claimed that you didn't have any idea of a scriptural passage's meaning, or didn't know how churches are decorated, or know what liturgies are composed of. I have claimed that you place a great deal of emphasis on your interpretation and on how you believe the Orthodox Church should act. To the Orthodox Church of Christ, your personal reading and understanding of scripture, opinion of church decoration, etc. means very little.

I think there are legitimate issues to discuss, but yeshuaisiam has no standing to make these determinations. He has his own idea of what scriptural passages mean and how they should be applied, how churches should be decorated, what liturgies should be composed of, and how we are all wrong (East, West, RC, Orthodox, Protestant) in how we refer to Jesus. Of course he's entitled to his opinions, but he in no way represents an Orthodox opinion.

Quote

Cognomen practices the art of cognitive dissonance. I wish you wouldn't. Just because you don't want to accept something doesn't mean that you should stubbornly battle against it. His name is Yeshua in Aramaic. I know that bugs you. Guess what? His name was Yeshua anyway. It's what God was called here on Earth. Yeshua. NOT Jesus. Jesus came out of the Greek transliterations of the Aramaic.

I'm sure you would prefer if I would go along with all of your poorly developed conspiracies. Of course I don't disagree with Jesus' name being Yesuah in Aramaic, but from your introduction to this forum you have pushed this. Obviously his disciples didn't feel the Aramaic form of his name was crucial and neither has the Church, ever. Why don't you speak Aramaic yourself? Again, this is just another example of you determining how things should be done, and assuming that you know better than the collective and very ancient tradition of the Church. Your view represents a deep distrust of the Church, even the ancient one, and the belief that you know better. I find this extraordinarily arrogant and unhelpful.

Quote

Guess what? I think I do represent an Orthodox opinion. Perhaps not your "Orthodox" opinion.

Yes, and so does the May 21st/Oct 21st rapture pastor. Of course you think your opinion is Orthodox. The Orthodox Church begs to differ.

Quote

There was once a church that truly existed before 325 A.D. It was the Orthodox church. There really wasn't an iconostasis either in those days. Like it or not... It's true. So if you think I don't know how a church should be decorated, perhaps you should really look at your own church, because the church that I strive to follow, was decorated a world away from your church.

You have to realize how strikingly similar your argument is to much of secular and Protestant thought. Having studied the early Church, I don't find this modern narrative of the real church immediately falling apart and then being recreated in Imperial fashion by Constantine and his cronies compelling. This sort of understanding isn't too far from the silly rant given in the DaVinci code.

Yes, things have changed, the liturgy has evolved, the decorations have evolved. This is part of the true Church, and does not represent any substantial shift in understanding of the faith. Is St. Catherine's monastery graceless because it has icons and incense? You can choose to disagree, but you are not a part of the Orthodox Church, nor do you actually wish to be. You are loyal to this myth of the absolutely perfect, untarnished Church of pre-325. Good luck recreating that. Many have tried and it frequently results in silliness.

Quote

My interpretation of Romans 13 is not an interpretation of the scripture, it is an interpretation of the American government. They are my servants. Blood was spilled for that freedom. They are not my governing authorities. They are not my kings nor Caesar. They are bound by Oath (albeit Masonic) to serve me (Protect and defend the constitution). That makes them subjective to me.

As usual, I think you have a naive and fairly odd understanding of this. You're entitled to your opinion, but because government workers are referred to as civil servants, does not mean that they are your personal servant, subject to your wishes and demands. You are not their king. Others have tried to explain this to you, but you retain this understanding.

Quote

If you believe this way, you will get the mark of the beast because they will use Romans 13 against you most likely through your church. Revelation is very clear that it will be coming from the governments, which the vast majority of worldwide churches are juiced in with their governments.

Nuh, uh... You will get the mark of the beast. Really?

I guess I'll agree to disagree. I don't think of government as my personal servant, they are OUR servants. (If you are American)

Now, on to my point, do you feel WORLD ORTHODOX churches will be tied in with the governments who serve the Anti-Christ?

Now, on to my point, do you feel WORLD ORTHODOX churches will be tied in with the governments who serve the Anti-Christ?

Some of all churches and bodies on earth will. Including Old Calendarists, Old Believers, Milan Synod, Genuine Orthodox Church, True Orthodox Church, Synods in Resistance, etc.

Logged

Quote from: Fr. Thomas Hopko, dystopian parable of the prodigal son

...you can imagine so-called healing services of the pigpen. The books that could be written, you know: Life in the Pigpen. How to Cope in the Pigpen. Being Happy in the Pigpen. Surviving in the Pigpen. And then there could be counselling, for people who feel unhappy in the pigpen, to try to get them to come to terms with the pigpen, and to accept the pigpen.

I do not give recognition to a person calling themselves an Eastern Orthodox Bishop, when they held worship with those outside of the Eastern Orthodox church. They broke the Canon of the Holy Apostles law, and it calls for them to be defrocked. That's why I put "Bishop" in quotes.

So how do you decide which canons to follow and which not to, Carnack? Icons=not needed, Being defrocked for worship with heretics=essential?

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The breath of Thine Holy Spirit inspires artists, poets and scientists. The power of Thy supreme knowledge makes them prophets and interpreters of Thy laws, who reveal the depths of Thy creative wisdom. Their works speak unwittingly of Thee. How great art Thou in Thy creation! How great art Thou in man!